Contracts signed, works underway for academy refit

Traverse Construction was selected from a pool of ten applicants in a tender process that supervised by the project architect and manager, Nambawan Architects. The signing was attended by Frank Lui of Traverse Construction and Ken Gross-smith of Nambawan Architects.Traverse Construction will renovate the current premises and add two wings on both ends of the building. The new wing on the Western end will house the new laundry and ablution block while the extension on the Eastern end will house a football equipment shop.Also signed with SIFF is a contract to manage this project on behalf SIFF. This contract was signed between Nambawan Architect and SIFF. Nambawan Architects will act as SIFF’s supervisor for the project amongst others ensuring that timelines and quality control measures are met.The project will be funded by FIFA under its Goal programme – this is Solomon Islands fourth project or Goal 4 Project, under the FIFA Goal programme. The first FIFA Goal project, FIFA Goal I, in Solomon Islands saw the upgrade of Lawson Tama stadium to international standards. FIFA Goal II saw the construction of the SIFF academy and FIFA Goal III was utilized for Aligegeo pitch in Malaita and John F. Kennedy stadium in Western Province. SIFF Normalising Committee chairman, Barnabas Anga, says that the signing of the contract is a significant milestone for the project.“We are pleased to sign this contract with the contractor, as this will enable work on this project to commence as we are very keen to see this project get underway. We are confident in the abilities and competencies of the contractor and our project manager who will work together to deliver to us this project in a timely manner with sound quality,” says Anga.Anga says that the renovated academy will help SIFF deliver its mandate and responsibilities more effectively in terms of courses, other education programs and support the concept of development centers to reach our members and football families in their respective regions and provinces. “The Academy has not been able to deliver as much as it used to but this project will change and improve this scenario. In that regard, we can now have more trainings and camps hosted at the academy in the future, thus serving the Federation in the long term,” explains Anga.SIFF is intending to apply again to FIFA for the construction of a beach soccer and futsal venue later this year.

About SIFF

Football is officially recognised as the national sport in the Solomon Islands. With numerous competitions running year-round, the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) has a busy time ensuring the game continues to grow and develop. SIFF was founded in 1978 and became a full FIFA member in 1988 largely thanks to the late Alan Boso who saw the potential of Solomon Islands football. Since then the association has grown from strength to strength.